Flea Market

The flea was a fun morning out yesterday…chilly, and lots of the usual vendors weren’t there, but there were certainly enough to make it worth the trip.  This is my first flea without the DSLR, and I must admit that taking a break from lugging that thing is nice.

Those elves set off my coulrophobia. No. Can. Do.

How do you say, ah yes…Lèche?

I really, really loved this rattan and leather goodness.  Only $65!

Jesus in the egg plates…there’s a country song in there somewhere.

OK, so funny/creepy story about these chairs…kind of.  I was admiring them and considering dragging them home, (in order to ensure my holiday would be a lonely, sad place as the CC would pack up and leave me if I did such a thing right now) when this older gentleman came up to me and asked what I liked about them.  He wanted to know what “young people” look for these days.

Clearly this man hasn’t been to his eye doctor in awhile, since I don’t fall into that category by about 15-20 years.  I set him straight and chatted with him a bit, when my senses, dulled by the flattery, missed the cue that this story he was starting was going to be loooooong.  Mid story, he wiped his nose and an enormous booger appeared, and just sat on the end of his nose like a gargoyle on Notre Dame.

As the story of the table restoration dragged on, it was ALL I COULD SEE, obvs, thank you big sunglasses.  I kept listening for some sort of break in the story to make my escape, but I didn’t want to be rude…it’s the holidays!  Finally, he was winding down and before he could continue I made my parting comments and wished him well, when he started following me and asking what else the “young people” like!  Dude..really?!

I shouted over my shoulder as I scurried away “I already TOLD you…HAPPY HOLIDAYS!” and sprinted into the next building I could find.  Now I’ll have to be on the lookout for the Boogeyman every time I hit the flea.  Good Times.

Gift Guide 2011

Just a quick pop in for you Black Friday shoppers…I’ve been adding to last year’s Gift Guide on my Pinterest and will continue to add to it for the next couple of weeks.  Some vintage, some handmade, some just plain old weird stuff.

Like last year, I’m trying to only pin things under $50 with the occasional splurge thrown in. I was going to delete all of last years gifts, but even if the ones I pinned are no longer available, they might be a springboard for ideas so I’ve left them up there.

Have a great holiday!

Switcheroo

About a month or so ago, I found something I’d been hunting for since we moved in.  Our dining room has can lights, which are fine, but not exactly emitting the moody, groovy vibe I was hoping for.

I found them dusty and grimy in a vintage store, and one was wired with a plug instead of hardwired.  Luckily, that’s not a problem over here.  We decided to take the easy path since we can’t access the ceiling from above and bought 2 converter kits at Home Depot.  The one we bought isn’t online, but is similar to this one.

So while the CC was wiring up the cans, I got to polishing.  Luckily, the chrome was in pretty good shape, so no soda was required this time.

Of course, they HAVE to be on a dimmer.  A complete MUST.

There is one small problem.  I think they are too high.  Currently they hang at 36″ above the table.  I think this particular fixture calls for 28-30″.  Thoughts?

Nothing is happening right away, since I really just wanted to get them up before Thanksgiving, but if I have to change the length and rewire them, I’m thinking that I won’t replace the chain..maybe black cloth cord?  I’ll listen to your suggestions and mull it over before making any decisions, but for now, I’m super happy to have a little dramatic upgrade from builder’s cans.

The Container Store Preview

Fellow Nashvillian organization geeks…rejoice!  Saturday is the big day wherein we finally have our very own 25,000+ square feet of OCD bliss.  The Container Store has arrived and I was lucky enough to be invited to the preview today.  I didn’t count, but I guess there were close to 20 bloggers there oohing and ahhing along with me.  It’s a good month for Nashville retail; Nordstrom, and now TCS!

One of my top 5 favorite blogs is Chez Larsson.  Benita’s organization posts are true motivators in my attempts to banish clutter.  She is amazingly efficient, due in no small part to her systems and the arranged structure in her home. When I walk into TCS, I feel like I can possibly achieve Benitadom.

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, but seeing all the shelves of organizational porn made my heart beat faster, and I’m not talking metaphorically.  I was really, and truly excited because I love this kind of thing.  I get it from my Dad.  When I was growing up, his workshop was impeccably peg boarded and labeled down to the last tack nail.  Nothing out of place.  Flash forward, and I get a bit out of sorts when things get too messy and cluttered..I constantly crave order, but with kids, there have to be compromises….and systems!!!  Let’s look.

 

All over the store, the vignettes had notes on them everywhere for the big soiree tonight.

Wall after wall of colorful, tidy goodness…..

Lego building stations…..Hmmmmm….

 

I love the Hicks inspired wrapping paper, as well as the faux bois ….

 

Who doesn’t love wheels?

I really loved this….it seems to be TCS’s version of the Componibili.  It’s all powder coated metal and all the drawers swivel out like the top one.  It looks more slick in person, my poor camera skills aren’t doing it justice.

AND…I got some swag!!  Wheee!

The long blue thing is a folding form.  Now, I too, can fold a sweater just like in Benetton. (I think that just dated me horribly…do “kids today” even know what that means?  Do they even have Benetton stores anymore, because I haven’t seen one in years.)

Thank you Alexandra and all the crew at The Container Store for inviting me.  I am, indeed, your target audience and I can’t wait to go back and buy a few things…I’ve already started rearranging the mudroom area in my head…and the pantry…..Oh, and the closet….

Phew!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the sale!  We were lucky with the weather, and delightful customers…’twas a good day to be outside wheelin’ and dealin’.  The ladies and I all had a great time, and are currently sporting achy joints for our incredibly brawny performances.  Kathy might hurt the worst, as her dolphin table is SOLID.

These are the worst photos ever, desperately snapped right as we finished set up…and the camera never made it out again….sorry!

 

So if we decided to do another one of these gigs in the Spring…would that be of interest?

Final Sale Preview

Non-locals…I’m really sorry, this sale drivel is almost over and we’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming.  This is IT…I promise.

Sale goers: In addition to a few more of my things, I’m adding some snaps from the other ladies as well, to give you a little taste of what each of us will have at the Sale:

Acorn and Archer

Me, You and a Wiener

My Interior Life (Updated 9/30)

SquirrelPearl

…and me!  Most of the stuff is wrapped up in boxes now, so some of these are older shots.

 

 

Previous sale posts are here.  Hope to see you there!